Going pro, need help.
 

I started off in onroad nitro, moved onto onroad electric, then to offroad truck bashing, now i want to start buggy racing but professionally, no more mukking around.

now, i have a loooooooooooooooooooong list of buggies to choose from, including imitations, my question is, what is the best?

ive got an OS .21 vzb vspec sitting on my table, with nothing for it to power.

im looking to buy the mugen mbx5 pro, is there any buggy better? or is there a buggy to MATCH it, for a lower price?

RE: Going pro, need help.
 

id either go the mugen or the Xray XB8

both are top notch buggies and theres not really anything above them.

RE: Going pro, need help.
 

ok i will try to help you but you will get a hundred different opionions about this but i have been racing pro class for about 2 years i started out racing GS CL1 not a bad buggy but wasnt very tough so then i went with a mugen it was a good car but like any other car it had issues but then i hooked up with Cen and started driving the Matrix Pro i had to do a little twiking but after that the car was very fast my lap times emproved and that car is tough and i really like it so my opionion would be the Matrix i hope this helps you.

Dennis Powers
Cen Racing
topspeedtoys.com(sts engines)

RE: Going pro, need help.
 

mugen mbx5r
xray xb8r
thunder tiger eb4 s3 (ive seen them in races, their pretty good what do you all think?)

any others i can add, im going to go with the cheaper one, so that i cant invest more in the engine and pipe.

radio gear is all set, im just re using my futaba 3pk for each new competition car.

RE: Going pro, need help.
 

I run the Xray XB8 TQ and let me just say that the quality and performance outweigh any other car out there. It is by far the least maintanence and bullet proof! The amount of adjustments the car has will suit your style since you come from an onroad background. It's very good.

Next choice would be a Mugen MBX5R, It's solid and handles amazing! I've yet to try one but my car works so there is no reason to change. The support @ your local track would probably lead you towards the Mugen also. It's a great car.......Quality is good too.....

Jammin X1Cr is not bad either......quality department is ok, but it handles good......


the rest = Junk....

cheap plastic
cheap outdrives, cvd's, shocks etc......why buy a headache???

RE: Going pro, need help.
 

thanks for that, i want more opinions from people who have experience with the cars, so if anyone reads this forum and has a buggy, let me know what it is and how good or bad you think it is. thanks alot to all those that help.

RE: Going pro, need help.
 

I say Matrix, the UPS man is bringing mine today. I've heard that people who had SP2's switched and their lap times lowered by seconds. I'm going to the track in about a week so if you need to know just PM me.

RE: Going pro, need help.
 

I think the above advice is pretty good. Both the mugen & the xray are pretty smicko buggys! Both the mugen MBX5 prospec and the Xray xb8 tq are fully hopped up right out of the box so there is litterally nothing to upgrade. The finish on both is exceptional. They are also very similar in design and you couldn;t go wrong with either of those. They are the "rolls royce" of buggys. Next comes the Kyosho & hyper etc etc but you'll spot the difference in quality. I suppose it will come down to what you can afford.

RE: Going pro, need help.
 

Losi 8ight :D Some say it's the best handling offroad vehicle with 4 wheels (buggy class, anyways)

RE: Going pro, need help.
 

Vote #2 for the 8ight, best buggy out there.

RE: Going pro, need help.
 

I can add to that. I was a factory driver for CEN this past year. I left the company and the team because of inside management issues (like every big company, they have issues) and decided to make a change with my cars as well.

I was seconds from actually retiring when TC Hobbys called me and asked if I wanted to run the Mugen MBX5-R for the 2007 season and what is left of 06'. I said, "Sure lets give it a try."

For this entire season I have struggled in the D and C main only bumping one time to an A-Main event with the CEN Matrix buggy. For most of the year, I thought it was ME that was struggling when now that I have run a better car, I know that it was indeed the car holding me back.

The lap times and the race results prove it themselves. I was 1 to 2 seconds off the best times with the Matrix. Now I am either setting quick lap for the race or right there in the top 5 lap times.

I finally qualified for an A-main 12-09-2006 (a PRO LEVEL A-MAIN, I RACE PRO 1/8th BUGGY without a Factory Sponsorship now) with a car bought and built by a HOBBY SHOP, not some trick factory ride with proto-type parts to make it fast around the track.

This to me is proof that both the chassis and the driver are better than EVER!

Hope this helps mold your decision.

Gabe "Commandrow" Boudreau

RE: Going pro, need help.
 

I'll 3rd the Losi 8ight. As far as quality goes it has some things that I think Losi could have done better but the metals (besides the shock stays which are hard but brittle) is some of the highest quality aluminum I've ever seen and the plastic is right up there with any of the other top brands. Sense you have on-road experience you might like it as well because the car drives best with a planted rear end and smooth flowing lines. It can get twitchy and swing out very suddenly on you but I've gotten rid of that with some setup and I've gotten this thing to go from oversteering to pushing like crazy with some simple adjustments so you will be able to dial in the buggy well.

The hyper 8 drives a lot like the Losi but it takes high speed bumps better and the steering isn't so aggressive but this will hurt you on tight tracks with a lot of hair pins. As far as quality goes I'd rank it right up there with the XB8. The plastic is very dense but pretty felxible (which normally I'd think of as a bad thing but I think its partly why it drives so smooth so they made the flex work for them). It comes with some carbon fiber for the servo tray and the metals are great quality. The hyper 8 will make you a consistant driver with how it drives and it deffinatly has the best value of any other pro kit because its only about $400 but doesn't lack on quality at all.

The XB8, MBX5, Matrix, and SP-2 are all great buys as well.

RE: Going pro, need help.
 

i second this but get the Cen Matrix Factory Race Edition , its alittle lighter and has alot of CNC , and Carbonfiber

RE: Going pro, need help.
 

Hyper 8 Pro kit.

RE: Going pro, need help.
 

sportwerks turmoil
mike

RE: Going pro, need help.
 

In this order
Xray XB8
Losi 8ight
Mugen MBX5
Hyper 8 pro
Jammin X1CR
I cant actually decide which I prefer between the losi and mugen so i put them at joint second. For price though the hyper 8 is hard to beat and is definatley best value

RE: Going pro, need help.
 

JAMMIN X1-CR FTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Its the sickest,toughest,fastest thing i have ever driven. I am suprised no one else really mentined it. Its been winning major events, very low maintenance, many tuning options, great hop-ups and the factory team edition is just sick out the box. I will never buy another buggy! Mugen just sucks from what i heard and seen. i call it the puken mugen. If you don't go jammin i would say the Losi but be ready for lots of broken parts. thats its only downfall. I know guys that bring boxes of spare parts just to make thru one day of racing/practice. JAMMIN 4 LIFE!!! Just my opinion. Hope this helps.

RE: Going pro, need help.
 

Just out of curiosity, what do you mean by 'going pro?' To me, that would be getting paid to race, or at least having more than 50% of the associated costs paid by someone else... I will presume that you mean you will be doing large series races such as RC Pro. With that in mind, I believe you can do well with pretty much all of the buggies listed. It has been my experience that once you have one of those top level buggies that has been mentioned, your set up ability and driving skill will determine if you podium or not. However, some drivers do much better with one buggy as opposed to another. Whether this has more to do with that individual's ability to set up that particular truck, or whether the design plays a bigger role in decreasing lap times seems up in the air. We've already had one sponsored racer post that a vehicle change made all the difference in the world, but for YOU that same buggy may not be the ticket. Unfortunately, you just have to pick one and see how you do.

Now, go out and get that buggy, get to the track and make some A-mains so you can get a chassis sponsor!

RE: Going pro, need help.
 

Your gonna have to see what people at your track run and if they let you wheel their cars you will get a feel for a few of the choices.

RE: Going pro, need help.
 

Ehh, i think he meant pro-kit level buggies.

RE: Going pro, need help.
 

I have to say KYOSHO SP2. ONLY CHOICE. DID WE FORGET ABOUT RESULTS?:D

RE: Going pro, need help.
 

You mean those older results. Have you been looking into whats been winning more current races? ;) I belive its all Losi 8ights, hyper 8s, matrixs, and mugens along with the occasional kyosho burried in there somewhere. Heres an example http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_5131088/tm.htm Keep in mind that was an invintaional event so it had a lot of the best drivers in the world. That should also tell you that most of its the driver winning the race and not the buggy.

RE: Going pro, need help.
 

i want to race pro, but like you said, i need to try get some sponsors, im excellent at tuning and setting up the suspension, diffs, gearing for certain tracks, wheter i want over or under steer, its just onroad wasnt that good, its fun for a while, but theres no excitement, after 3 laps, i could finish the race eyes closed, unless someone hit into me, offorad, every time you jump, you hav to take the right angle, right speed, right power in the air to keep it from hitting nose or ass first, its just so fun, and it tests your skills, onroad was easy, accelerate, slow down, dont accelerate until the apex of the turn, do it all over again, it just became repetitve. then i took up electric drift, again, fun for a while but it gets boring, i thought it would be fast, long drifts but its all tight twists and slow drifting, its cool to see the car sideways but thats about it, and its hard to find people to make videos with that can stay with ur car, anyway, im not the best in the world but i try, i got the NTC3 and they dubbed me the brick, coz that car was solid, or i was a good driver :P, but everytime someone would try overtake me and hit into me they would spin out, i admit my car was rather heavy but it stuck to the road quite well, then drifting, i regret putting money into that but i had to try it, off road truck bashing, most fun, cannot get enough, but i love to race, competing is in my blood, so buggy racing is probably best, i dont like to race trucks, although its fun, i like speed and agility. thanks alot for your help guys.

Xray XB8
Losi 8ight
Mugen MBX5
Hyper 8 pro
Jammin X1CR

thats the list as suggested ill just use my taste to choose, sory i didnt include the CEN but those 5 cars are just excellent.

once again thanks and happy new year.

RE: Going pro, need help.
 

well the Cen is a excellent i dont know how many people i race with that are really fast guys sold thier cars most of the ones you got listed and got a Matrix.

Dennis Powers
Cen Racing
topspeedtoys.com(sts engines)

RE: Going pro, need help.
 

one thing about the hyper 8 there are 3 manufacturers i found that make it, hobao, hongnor and ofna.... are they the same company with different names?... ive never had experience with any of thier products.

did some research on the cen matrix, looks good.

ive just noticed something about all these buggies, thier almost identical.....lol.....ok now here comes the question of who has better quality? man so hard to choose, no matter, ill go with whatever my LHS has most parts for.